Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria
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Съюз на глухите в България | |
| Abbreviation | UDB; СГБ (SGB) |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Society of the Deaf and Dumb in Bulgaria |
| Formation | 12 July 1934 |
| Founded at | Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Legal status | Public-benefit association |
| Purpose | Social rehabilitation and integration of deaf and hard-of-hearing people; promotion of Bulgarian Sign Language |
| Headquarters | 12–14 Denkoglu Street, Sofia |
Chairman | Nikolay Ninov |
| Affiliations | |
| Website | www |
The Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria (Съюз на глухите в България; abbreviated UDB or SGB) is a national, public-benefit non-governmental organisation of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Bulgaria. [1] Founded on 12 July 1934 in Sofia, it is the oldest and largest organisation of people with disabilities in the country.[1][2]
The Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria is the successor of the former Society of the Deaf and Dumb in Bulgaria, which was founded on 12 July 1934. [3] The society began its activity in conditions of severe economic crisis, unemployment and poverty, with the aim of defending the cultural and material interests of deaf people. [3] Bringing together more than 200 members from across the country, in its early years it led an organisationally weak life and carried out partial philanthropic work, sustained largely through the enthusiasm of its founders.[3]
After 1944, the renamed Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria began to develop large-scale organisational, productive-economic, social, cultural-educational, sporting and tourist activities. [3] From 1957 the union began to develop its own economic activity through the chain of "Tih Trud" ("Silent Labour") commercial companies, in which several hundred people with hearing impairments found employment.[2]
Cultural activity in the union dates from the winter of 1938, when the first deaf pantomime artists, Veselina Yosifova and Kosta Zlatarev, performed the sketch "The Lover Painter" at a charity evening in the hall of the Slavyanska Beseda society in Sofia.[4]
Organisation
According to the union, it has around 6,500 members, organised in 12 regional organisations in the cities of Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Pleven, Haskovo, Yambol, Dupnitsa, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Shumen, with 42 territorial organisations subordinated to them. [2] Its headquarters are located at 12–14 Denkoglu Street in central Sofia.[5]
The union is a full member of the World Federation of the Deaf, the World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section, the European Union of the Deaf and the European Union of the Deaf Youth.[1] As of the late 2010s, its chairman was Nikolay Ninov.[6]
Activities
Social rehabilitation and education
The union carries out activities related to the rehabilitation and social integration of people with hearing impairments, supporting their social, educational, spiritual and intellectual development. [7] It maintains the only Centre for Rehabilitation of Hearing and Speech for children up to three years of age in Bulgaria, with offices in Sofia, Varna, Pleven and Haskovo.[2]
Economic activity
Through 13 "Tih Trud" EOOD commercial companies in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Pleven, Haskovo, Yambol, Dupnitsa, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Shumen and Lom, the union provides employment for people with hearing impairments. The main lines of production are clothing manufacture, printing services, cardboard packaging, furniture production, footwear, non-standard metal equipment and construction painting. [2] The union also operates recreational facilities in Primorsko, the Rhodopes, the Stara Zagora Mineral Baths, and at the holiday villages "Albatros" near Varna and near the Rila Monastery.[2]
Sign language and advocacy
Through its National Methodological and Consultative Centre on the Problems of Sign Language, established by decision of the union's Managing Board in February 2004, the union has worked on the enrichment, development and standardisation of Bulgarian Sign Language. [8] In cooperation with the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training, the centre developed the state educational requirements for training in the recognised new profession of "Sign Language Interpreter".[8]
The union, together with the other national disability organisations, also took part in the long campaign for the recognition and ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Bulgaria ratified in 2012. [6] On 12 November 2020, the National Assembly approved at first reading a bill on Bulgarian Sign Language submitted by the Council of Ministers, the result of a campaign in which 18 organisations of and for deaf people united under the leadership of the Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria, headed by chairman Nikolay Ninov.[8]
The union also publishes a newspaper, Tishina ("Silence"), and its members take part in various festivals, programmes, and international cultural, sporting and music events; it has its own youth organisation and vocational training centre, and organises angling and chess competitions.[6]